An emotive introduction
by CrazyCatMelody
Summary: Spock is taught a vague outline on the basics of human emotion.
1. Chapter 1

An Emotive Introduction

It was rare that anyone who never set foot on the bridge ever saw Captain Kirk or Commander Spock. But this was shore leave. It was also improbable that anyone would bother trying to have a conversation with Spock. It was even more unlikely that you would see a pair of lieutenants, never seen away from their station, pass by the two superior officers and be noticed let alone asked to join them.

* * *

But this is exactly what James T. Kirk did.

"Would you two like to join us?" a simple remark. Spock all but raised an eyebrow. The two young ladies realised that they were the only ones in the area. Both of them blushed to their ears. The tall one with dark brown hair attempted to refuse his offer;

"We shouldn't, it would be..."But words failed her. Besides, the Captain insisted.

"How long have you been on the Enterprise?" Kirk didn't have to wait long for his answer, the blonde answered immediately.

"We have been on board ever since we left the Starbase four years ago. Elisa and I work on deck 1 and rarely venture further than deck 3. My apologies, my name is Nakiti."

The way Nakiti acted surprised Kirk and asked Elisa "Is she always like this?" Elisa replied in the positive. Nakiti however, appeared to have averted her attention to Spock who so far had remained silent.

Kirk followed Nakiti's gaze.

"I was just explaining to Spock the emotion of Happiness."

Elisa dropped all her professional mannerisms, not bothering to hide her new boredom. Kirk noticed this and realised that he was in for a long ride.

"I am not surprised by the difficulty you are experiencing Commander. Human emotion is not even understood by the most commended of psychiatrists. An emotion, however simple in it's outward appearance, has it's basis so deep in the unconscious mind it can not be put into words."

Spock did not say or provide any useful data.

"Human emotion is much like that of Vulcan emotion." Spock intervened followed by curious looks from kirk and Elisa.

"Illogical as Vulcan's do not possess this ability."

"As I am sure you know Commander, a civilisation can not expand without emotion. Using Vulcan's as an example, the emotion has been pushed so far it appears to all that there is none. It has been cultivated so far that even your own race does not believe in it's existence. After all, you are not a single celled organism, Spock.  
How would your father be an Ambassador without your people having the experience of logic to put him there. But what is logic, Spock? Is it truth? In one way, yes, but in others there are other directions. What is logical to some is not the same logic as it is to you, Spock. It requires the emotions of said person to create the logical answer of the."

No one but Nakiti saw the slight change in his eyes.

"Perhaps I am coming from the wrong direction. I shall use myself as an example." Inwardly Nakiti sighed, but her intense curiosity overcame her frustration. Spock was an unusually difficult person to understand. Usually Nakiti could sense what kind of person she was near to. Some may call her an Empath. Some still had superstitions that empaths walked their land, but Nakiti was no empath. She just understood, only a little but enough. "Emotionally, what do you see in me, Spock?"

An unexpected question. "I do not understand your meaning, Emotions can not be seen."

"Almost correct Commander. You can not see my emotions because I am trying to hide them. At this moment I should look just as you are now."


	2. A version of happiness

It was, impossible. The way that Nakiti was sitting was an exact mirror of Spock. Her expression was unidentifiable, not a single muscle tensed or relaxed unless Spock's was also in that state. She was looking at Spock exactly as he was looking at her, studying without movement. Only an expert could identify the difference, if there was any.

"How?"

"There is a difference!" Kirk's puzzled expression turned to face Elisa who was rather excited by her discovery. As one Spock and Nakiti turned there heads towards her as well, Nakiti suppressing a smile. "Look! Look at their eyes." Elisa pointed out the differences to Jim as though they were looking at a child's 'find the the difference. '

"Look at Spock. Now his eye lids are very slightly tighter around the eye itself. Now take a look at Nakiti. Hers are too but look really, really closely. They aren't quite as tight as Spock's."

"I can't tell the difference." Jim had one hand resting lightly on his mouth.

"You can tell by the slight crease in Spock's brow."

"I just don't get it. He's not doing anything."

"And one eye brow is ever so slightly raised. Yes I know so is nakiti's. But not naturally, it's forced."

Nakiti hoped Elisa didn't notice that the corners of her mouth betrayed her proud smile.

Nakiti and Spock turned again to one another. Spock through fascination and questions, Nakiti through her sense of him turning. Spock raised his eyebrow higher, Nakiti did not. It was time for more answers.

"I do not understand the emotion expressed by Elisa as logical."

"The definitions Elisa has just described in our appearances are so subtle most would only register them unconsciously. Her reaction to finding them is natural. You find the results of your work 'fascinating' do you not."

Again Spock increased the intensity of emotion shown. "I do."

"Fascinating is another word, used by many, for enjoyment, passion in a subjective situation. In other words Spock, it makes you happy."


	3. Objective infection

Spock thought about the logic of Nakiti's statement. Fascinate: To interest someone a lot. Synonym: enjoy, obsession. Did Spock really find his job so fascinating that it had aroused emotion in him? Possibly, yes. Logically being half human it was indeed possible for Spock to have emotions. For the whole of his lifetime he had endeavoured to be completely Vulcan. To be Vulcan Spock rejected the ability to notice them in himself as well as understand them. It was the only way not to convey them.

Spock was gone. Nakiti could tell she had a few minutes to be herself. She saw Elisa on the floor. Jim had already turned to help her. In her worry her face contorted and she flew to her side. By the time she got there her breath had quickened.

"What happened to you? I thought..." Jim was calm and had already dealt with the situation.

"Spock's gone out for a while." Nakiti brought herself to rest. There was nothing to worry about, Elisa was fine.

"No he hasn't he's, oh I see." Jim waved a hand in front of Spock's unchanged expression. Not a thing. "I suppose this is something for Spock to meditate on. I don't think now is a good time though. He could be like that for hours..." Jim stared into Spock's eyes diligently. "At least he hasn't fallen over. Must be in a light state of consciousness, otherwise he'd have collapsed. That's at least something."

"Collapsed?"

"I thought you would know about that sort of thing."

"I'm not a psychologist, I'm a redcoat. Besides I've studied the way they think not their biology. And that's just a hobby! I don't know how they work."

Jim was utterly shocked at Nakiti's reaction. Nakiti hadn't realised what a scene she had been making. Jim was also surprised to find that Nakiti had only been speaking the way she had to make it easier for Spock to understand her. It then occurred to him that Nakiti had been semi logical at the same time.

Elisa roused from her unconscious state.


	4. Deep thought

Spock tried to ignore the noises going on around him. The subject Spock was meditating upon wasn't arguably an important one that he couldn't think out later but he would prefer to do it now. If he was honest he could say he was 'obsessed' with it. Not that anyone would find out unnecessarily. But it didn't take long for Spock to lose himself in a layer of light unconsciousness.

Here he could think uninterrupted. His subject, his own emotions.

peace of mind, meditation; an emotion? Could be. Nakiti had mentioned 'Vulcan's emotion' as though they were all able to experience them, with the logical fact of civilisation needing emotion to survive. It must be an emotion all Vulcan's experience and not only Spock. After all, all Vulcan's meditate. To back this up his farther had once implied that Vulcan's emotions are much deeper than humans in many ways because their race is such an old one. Perhaps there is more to meditation than simply peace of mind.

He had once lost his temper as a child, and again when Vulcan was destroyed. His anger had overwhelmed him so much that he had not noticed many of the illogical choices he was making. The transition to Captain had given him power. He had irresponsibly used that power due to his emotions. Although he had hated Kirk at the time, he needed that time to attune himself.

Had he not also experienced grief at this time. He had denied himself the time to grieve; perhaps this was wrong. Yes, he wanted to do all he could do for the remainders of his species, but this meant he had never gotten over the past. Now he knew what the sinking feeling he had every time he thought of New Vulcan was. He felt the loss of his mother, the loss of his world and all he had known before Starfleet. And betrayal. Even though he knew He, Spock, Future Spock was doing exactly as he would be he felt he had betrayed his planet. Even though he wasn't. He needed time, time he would never allow himself. He wasn't even sure he knew what to do with it to help him grieve.

Love though? Uhura had tried to explain this complex to him many times but he just didn't understand it. Perhaps there was more than one kind of love, like there was with happiness. This he would ask of Nakiti. He had observed humans for many years and found that they mentioned love when a family member or pet died. Logically, love must be connected to grief. A hole he, he thought, no one can repair. He had loved his mother his mother had died. His love was still there but the loss, grief, had joined her name. The love Uhuru had tried to explain was completely different. It involved... movement he usually just associated with words - unless he was doing it. Making love was apparently when you feel connected to someone so much that you, for lack of words, reproduce, but with zest.

Indeed emotion was complex, more complex than a short time in his unconsciousness and with little explanation. He could have completely the wrong idea.


End file.
